Decorated with Vintage Valentine’s Day Mantel and Living Room Decor
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing my decorated with vintage Valentine’s Day mantel and living room decor.
I was slow getting my living room decorated for Valentine’s Day and finally finished last week. It makes me very happy to have a room in my home decorated for the season and using inherited treasures makes the decorations extra special.
Valentine’s Day Mantel
I started my decorating with the mantel in our formal living room.
I used a heart shaped wreath that I made a long time ago on the antique mirror that originated in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
You can read about how I made the wreath in this post.
On the mantel, I displayed vintage Valentine’s Day cards flanked by vases of Carnations.
Most people prefer Roses, but I’ll opt for Carnations over Roses if I am given a choice.
Carnations are easy to arrange and they stay looking great for weeks.
I used two of my paternal grandmother’s flower frogs when I arranged these Carnations.
I bought the Carnations at Kroger and used three bunches which cost less than $20. I’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of these.
Vintage Valentine Cards on the Mantel
I had so much fun looking through my collection of vintage Valentine’s Day cards and postcards and deciding which ones I wanted to use.
My former teaching assistant, Becky, gave me several vintage Valentine cards from her family. This adorable speedboat card is one of them.
Harry H is Harry Hudson, Becky’s uncle. I don’t know who DP may be.
This vintage Valentine’s Day postcard is also from Becky’s family.
The card was sent to Becky’s Aunt Fannie. Fannie was never married and I am pretty sure that Becky and the family called her Sissy. Sissy’s table is in front of my mantel and another table that belonged to Sissy is at my lake house.
The card was given to me by my mother. You’ll see two more that look similar. They were sent by my grandmother and her two sisters.
This card was sent in the 1920s to Maggie and Creed who grew up in my mother’s 1912 home.
Mama has Creed’s Waynesboro High School diploma hanging on her wall and we both have Maggie’s sheet music framed and on display in both of our homes.
I do not remember Nannie as she died when I was very young of breast cancer.
The next card is another from Becky’s family. The “To My Valentine” part fold down and the cherub fold out.
Beulah Hudson was Becky’s mom.
This card is so pretty and it is amazing how bright the colors are even though it is nearly 100 years old.
This card is from Frances Harris, my grandmother’s sister. Frances lived in Mama’s 1912 house for many years.
Note that this card is a Whitney Made one. Read more about this card maker here.
This card is another from Becky’s family.
This card was to Harry Hudson, Becky’s uncle. I’m wondering if Henry was a cousin?
This one is so pretty! It’s another that Mama gave me.
My sweet grandmother sent this to Maggie and Creed. Granny always called them Cousin Maggie and Cousin Creed. My brother thought that Creed’s name was Cussing Creed.
This is another card that Mama gave me. I think it was sent to Frances Harris.
This card can stand and the girl’s arm can be moved. Riley was my maternal great-grandfather’s brother. I have a large bread board that belonged to Wirt.
The last vintage Valentine’s Day card on the mantel was sent to my paternal grandfather from his youngest sister.
Tommy’s real name was Bertha Alice and I’m not sure why she was called Tommy. She was 20 years younger than my grandfather.
Valentine’s Day Decorations
After the mantel was decorated, I moved on to the rest of the room.
I decorated the chairs with Valentine’s Day pillows and Aunt Sissy’s table between the chairs with a Valentine’s Day vignette.
The red candle holder is Blenko and belonged to my paternal grandmother. The clear lidded container originally held candy. I wanted to fill it with Valentine’s candy but never purchased any when grocery shopping.
The vintage Valentine postcard was in with postcards that I inherited from my paternal grandmother. It was sent to Lizzie Hughes in Blacksburg, Virginia. Who Lizzie is and how my grandmother had a bunch of her postcards is a mystery.
On the music stand to the left of the mantel is a basket that my paternal grandfather made in the 1980s. I kept this on my desk in high school and college.
I filled it with hearts that I made and a Valentine’s Day themed dish towel.
The next spot to share is the decorations on my grandmother’s chest. I kept a few elements in place from my winter decorations here including the lamp and silver tray.
I purchased this copper colored cake pan or perhaps jello mold at Estate’s Revisited in downtown Lynchburg years ago. I always enjoy using it for Valentine’s Day decorating.
I switched the candle in the lamp from white to pink and added a Valentine postcard that was never written on nor sent.
This card’s design and colors are so pretty.
On the other side of the chest, I displayed a heart that I made using my paternal grandmother’s buttons and another vintage postcard.
This is another beautiful card.
You can see more of my vintage Valentine postcard collection in this post. I have so many and was sad that I didn’t figure out a way to display all of them.
The last spot that I decorated for Valentine’s Day was a chest in our dining room.
The trio of brass candleholders has been in this spot since before Christmas. For Valentine’s Day, I changed the white candles that I used for winter to pink for Valentine’s Day.
Mr. SP made the LOVE decoration when he took a welding class at Vector Space.
Sherman’s favorite room in our home is our living room. As I was taking pictures, he joined me to relax in one of his favorite spots.
Once Valentine’s Day is over, it will be time to change the decor in this room over to early spring with a nod to St. Patrick’s Day. You can see how I decorated for early March a few years ago in this post.
I’ll be back tomorrow to share a delicious recipe that you will want to make for a Valentine’s Day dessert.
You do indeed have the best valentine cards. I have some pretty ones too but they’re all GLUED into a scrapbook that my great-grandmother kept. I featured just one on my blog today.
It’s a shame that your cards are glued into a scrapbook but I looked at your post and I know I would love to looks through those books to see the cards that your great-grandmother received.
I love Vintage Cards, they don’t make them like they used to! I love how you displayed them!
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I had so much fun looking through the cards and deciding which ones I would use and where I would display them.
Sissy, Lizzie…havent heard those names in years! Love the heart wreath on your mirror. yOur card colletion is amazing!
Thank you so much, Linda! I heard Becky talk about Sissy for years. I wish I would have met her. I have always loved the name Lizzie. I think the generation having babies needs to bring that name back!
Wow, Paula! Your collection of vintage Valentine’s Day cards is amazing! You’ve displayed them so beautifully, too. It’s like stepping back in time. I love dreaming about the relationships between the people they were sent to. Perhaps someday someone will stumble upon your posts and help you solve some of the mysteries you mentioned. Pinned!
Maybe my post will help someone to solve a mystery! I really had fun looking through my cards and deciding how I would display them.
These Valentine cards are so great! You truly do have the most amazing treasures! So wonderful that they have been kept and passed down to you. I always love when you share!
Thank you so much, Kim! I love sharing my vintage treasures and the stories behind them.
So fun seeing all those vintage Valentine’s Day cards! Love the “LOVE” art that your hubby created, and the jello mold! Pinned!
Thank you, Julie! Mr. SP really enjoyed that welding class and I loved that he made something that I can decorate with. I had to buy that jello mold when I saw it!
Hi Paula. I always love to see your vintage Valentine Cards. Everything looks great. Happy Valentine Day.
Thank you so much! Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
Paula, I so enjoy all of your posts! Each post is rich with your family history. There is a reverence for each person and each object you explain.
Your home is beautiful! The rooms are filled with lovely treasures. I like the way you balance each vignette with a touch of whimsy, the cake pan/ jello mold, the antique Valentines, and your husband’s art. All arranged so perfectly.
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day with your family,
Suzanne
I love all of these, but the heart s my favorite!!!
Paula, the vintage cards are soooo cool. And soooo cool that a lot of them have family stories. Cool welded “LOVE” decoration, Mr. SP !
This room looks so pretty Paula. You have an impressive collection of vintage Valentines. Love them and the fact that most belonged to someone in your family.
Paula, I really enjoyed seeing your Valentines and “hearing” their histories. This is a potential solution to easily display all your cards without damage: When I was a kid, my mother suspended out Christmas cards (with tape–you could use mini clothespins!) on yarn strung kittty-corner in the Christmas tree corner. They were easily read, then cut up the next year by us kids to make Christmas tags!vI always love seeing Sherman in his favorite room! One year when I was a representative for a group I belong to, the treasurer bought me a rose to celebrate my anniversary. She usually bought anyone celebrating an anniversary a carnation. I thought I was special so she bought me a rose. When I voiced this to her, she gave me a funny look, then proceeded to deflate MY balloon! She simple said, “Kathy, roses were cheaper than carnations this week.” I smile when I see carnations now!
Sherman needs something red on his collar.
Those flower frogs are wonderful. Are they easily found in stores or, perhaps, craft stores?
The clear decanter on the table (empty….you said that you didn’t have candy to put in the decanter…..if you have some food coloring (or left over beet juice), just ‘tint’ some tap water for the decanter in the shade of pink or red that you like.
LOVE your decorations and vintage Valentines.
Sherman’s aunt knitted a Christmas collar for him. I’ll have to ask her to do a Valentine’s Day version. My flower frogs were my grandmother’s but I see them for sale from time to time in antique shops. Thank you fo r the suggestion to use colored water in the clear decanter.
These cards are adorable! Lovely decor with a hint of nostalgia :).
Thank you so much, Teodora.